Top in Automotive: EuroNCAP

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Euro NCAP Announces the Safest Cars of 2012 in Each Segment

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Safety is something not to be taken lightly as far as cars are concerned. Euro NCAP, the independent organization that was established by seven European governments and has been conducting crash-tests since 1997, has been a key player in improving the level of passive and active safety offered by today’s new cars.

In 2012, it tested 36 new vehicles that became available in European markets. Most of them performed well enough to earn a five-star rating, though some did better than others in the four individual categories, namely adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, pedestrian protection and safety assist systems, and earned the “Best in Class” title for their respective segments (two of them tied in the Mini MPV class).

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

In its latest release, the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has come out with a list that includes the safest cars in each category for 2013, while also awarding a new "Top Safety Pick+" accolade to 13 cars, most of which are mainstream mid-size saloons. Read more »

Euro NCAP Find that Dacia Lodgy Dissapoints while 14 Other New Cars Score Five Stars

Sunday, December 2, 2012

The safety gurus at the European New Car Assessment Program (Euro NCAP), an independent organization that assesses and scores vehicle safety, have released a new round of scores for 15 new models, many of which were presented at the recent Paris Motor Show.

With one exception, the new Dacia Lodgy minivan that Euro NCAP said "budgets on safety" as it was rated with a mediocre three stars out of five, all other cars tested were awarded five stars.

Euro NCAP criticized the Renault Group's decision to not offer the electronic stability control (ESC) as standard equipment on the Lodgy, while also noting that the Dacia model scored poorly for pedestrian and child protection.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Six brand new models including the 2013 Audi A3 hatchback , Ford B-MAX minivan, Isuzu D-Max pickup truck, Kia Cee’d hatch, Renault Clio supermini and Volvo V40 premium compact have undergone safety tests by Euro NCAP and all but one of the vehicles assessed received the full five-star rating.

The most impressive results came from the new Volvo V40 five-door hatchback that not only achieved five stars but also became Euro NCAP’s all-time top scorer in its segment.

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

The new BMW 3-Series sedan, Hyundai i30 compact hatchback, Mazda CX-5 crossover and Peugeot 208 supermini are the latest cars to be evaluated by Euro NCAP, the organization charged with crash-testing Europe's vehicles.

All four models achieved a maximum five-star rating with Euro NCAP officials pointing out that carmakers have made significant improvements in the area of pedestrian protection.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

The latest results from Euro NCAP, which is equivalent to the IIHS in North America, brings good news for some, and bad news for others.

The two vehicles tested by the European body are the new 2012 Honda Civic 5-door hatchback and the redesigned Jeep Compass crossover.

Starting with the good news, Honda's compact model was awarded the maximum five star rating, achieving high scores in all areas of assessment and putting it on a par with the top models in its category.

Euro NCAP said that the passenger compartment remained stable in the frontal impact while the car scored maximum points in the side barrier test. It also offered adequate protection in the more severe side pole impact, and scored top points for the protection it offered to pedestrians.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony: the line spoken by Morpheus in the first (and, arguably, best) movie of The Matrix trilogy certainly fits Saab’s case tighter than spandex pants.

The U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the 9-4X crossover and the 9-5 sedan a “Top Safety Pick”, its highest rating for crashworthiness.

Friday, December 9, 2011

The FIA Foundation announced the results of the first ever crash tests carried out by the Latin New Car Assessment Program (Latin NCAP), and the news isn’t good for consumers and automakers alike.

Actually, the crash test results reveal a terrifying reality: most of the best selling cars in Latin America’s emerging markets offer minimal or no protection at all to their adult occupants let alone children...

Max Mosley, president of Global NCAP, said: “The latest results of the Latin NCAP reveal that South America’s most popular cars are still about 20 years behind the levels of safety enjoyed in Europe and North America. This cannot be acceptable.”

"We want to see the UN’s global crash test standards applied to all new cars across the world. And we want consumers to be aware of the life and death choices they make when buying a new car," Mosley added.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

The results are in for Euro NCAP’s fifth and last launch of 2011. A total of 14 cars were tested including two Chinese newcomers, the MG6 and the Geely Emgrand EC7, both of which achieved a four star rating, proving that at least some Chinese brands are starting to take safety seriously.

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General commented: "These results mark a milestone for the Chinese automotive industry. It is a clear sign that Chinese car makers are building on recent experiences and rapidly investing in better vehicle safety. Even with the upcoming increased demands, five stars are expected to be within reach soon."

Four more vehicles that are new were given a four-star rating, including the Fiat Panda, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jaguar XF and the EV Renault Fluence ZE.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Here's some more good news for General Motors as the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Coupe is the first car to score the highest possible five-star rating in every individual test of the National Highway Traffic Safery Administration's (NHTSA) New Car Assessment Program since the introduction of the new standards in 2011. Read more »

Euro NCAP Announces the Results of the Latest Round of Crash Tests

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The Ford Ranger's five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash test was a surprise in the sense that it was the first time a pickup truck ever achieved such a high score not only for passenger but also for pedestrian protection as well.

The independent European safety organization also released the results for 11 more new models that were tested along with the Ranger. With the emphasis given these days on safety, the five-star rating awarded in all but one of the models was to be expected.

Ford’s new Ranger is the first pickup tested by the Euro NCAP safety organization to achieve a five-star top rating. The Ranger’s overall score was 89%, which is not only the best ever recorded by a pickup, but one of the highest regardless of class.

Surprisingly, given that it is a pickup, it also managed to receive the best rating ever for pedestrian protection among the cars tested by the Euro NCAP since it was established in 1997, with an 81% score.

Friday, October 14, 2011

All car manufactures boast about the high level of safety offered by their vehicles. But we usually don’t find out whether their claims are accurate until they are subjected to crash tests from the likes of Euro NCAP or the IIHS.

Since five stars have become the norm for almost all new models above the city-car level, car manufacturers are trying to outdo each other by achieving new records in each category measured by the independent safety organization(s).

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

As nine out of 10 cars tested this month earned the highest result of 5 starts in Euro NCAP’s crash tests, the safety organization is gearing up for making the 2012 requirements even more demanding.

In alphabetical order, the five-star winners are: the Audi A6, the BMW X3, the Chevrolet Aveo, the Chevrolet Orlando, the Citroen DS5, the Hyundai i40, the Opel Ampera, the VW Golf Cabriolet and the VW Jetta.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

After awarding the Mitsubishi i-MiEV with a four-star rating, Euro NCAP, which is the European equivalent of the American IIHS, crash tested its second all-electric model, the Nissan Leaf. The Japanese hatchback achieved a five-star rating, becoming the first electric vehicle to do so. Read more »

Saab Boss Victor Muller Hints at US and EU Distribution of China's Hawtai Cars, Says Buyers Won’t Care about Safety

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The ink on the deal / partnership between Saab and China’s Hawtai Motor Group has barely dried, but the Swedish automaker's chairman and Spyker CEO, Victor Muller is already making headlines again by hinting at the distribution of cheap Chinese cars in the United States, Europe and elsewhere through Saab’s established global network.

"We laughed when the Japanese came. We laughed when the Koreans came. But we will not be laughing when the Chinese come. The Chinese are like a steamroller,” said Victor Muller, during a press event in Washington, D.C.

Muller said that if an agreement is reached with Hawtai, the Chinese maker could make use of Saab’s distribution network to sell its cars globally.

"It took 67 years to build up our dealer network. It is the biggest asset not on our asset sheet, and these guys buy into it for free. If they make the proper cars, can you image how much simpler it will be to push product through the distribution network that is already there? It is like a railway network that is already there," said Muller.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released the results of the first-ever U.S. crash test evaluations of plug-in electric cars, with the two EVs earning the highest safety ratings. The Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf were awarded the top rating of “good” for front, side, rear and rollover crash protection.

Since both cars are fitted as standard with electronic stability control systems, they also qualified as winners of Top Safety Pick, the Institute's award for state-of-the-art crash protection.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

The Mitsubishi i-MiEV is the first ever plug-in electric vehicle to be tested by Euro NCAP and marks the start of a series of EV crash-tests planned for this year. Besides the i-MiEV, the European safety institute also rated five conventional models: the BMW X1, Hyundai ix20, Dacia Duster, Mitsubishi ASX and Nissan Juke.

The EV obtained an overall four star rating, the same score being awarded to the i-MiEV's sister models, the Citroen C-Zero and Peugeot iOn, which have the same design and safety equipment. The result was judged as "creditable" by the Euro NCAP.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), which is similar to the American IIHS testing regimen, has released a list with the safest car in each vehicle category and the two worst performers overall of 2010. The cars that attained the coveted five star rating and achieved the highest overall score in their respective segment are:

------ Executive category: BMW 5 Series
------ Small Family category: Alfa Romeo Giulietta
------ Supermini category: Honda CR-Z
------ Small off-road 4×4 category: Kia Sportage
------ Small MPV category: Toyota Verso

On the other side of the fence are two models that achieved the poorest results of 2010. These are the Citroen Nemo with three stars and China's Landwind CV9 that received only two stars.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Euro NCAP has released its latest crash test results, including the data sheet for the first Chinese vehicle it has ever tested, the Landwind CV9. Although the Chinese maker claims it has revamped the car to meet "the strictest European safety standards", the mid-sized MPV only managed a two star rating. However, Euro NCAP noted that the CV9 came close to meeting the three star threshold for adult protection, so there's still hope for the Chinese maker.